Image quality and patient safety are inextricably linked in medical imaging employing x-rays. Improved image quality leads to improved diagnostic accuracy, which in turn, leads to real patient benefit. However, it is critical not to attempt to achieve the best possible image quality at the expense of increasing patient risk from radiation. At the same time, poor image quality also presents real patient risk when the delivered radiation fails to provide the maximum benefit by yielding accurate diagnosis.
The main determinant of image quality is a radiation dose to an image receptor, as more radiation dose will inherently contain more signal by virtue of x-ray statistics. Minimizing patient dose, however, will degrade the x-ray statistics and degrade image quality. At a certain level of radiation dose, no more relevant information exists in the context of diagnostic accuracy. Thus, the goal of medical staff is to use a technique that provides adequate information consistently without excessive radiation.
A significant problem with current x-ray techniques involves underexposure or overexposure due to a failure to determine the size of the body or body part correctly.
Another problem with current x-ray imaging is that on occasion the wrong body part may be ordered and imaged.
Another set of problems with current x-ray imaging techniques is the detrimental effects caused by patient movement, positioning, and misalignment.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.